A very famous collection in poetic history includes the names of Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. These collections are written by William Blake. Songs of Innocence were written in early years and published in recapturing the wonderment of childhood and achieving the goal of true self- knowledge and integration with the world. Later, Blake brought out the companion of the experience collection. These explored the darker side of life and reflected on growing disillusionment and more mature vision. Blake believed that there must be a fusion of innocence and experience to attain true self-awareness. In Blake’s poems of The Lamb, The Tyger, The Chimney Sweeper, and Infant Sorrow, there are many different messages tied to each one.
To
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Many would wonder why in the world this specific poem was placed in Songs of Innocence. This is a very depressing poem on its own, however in the end, there is a slight beam of light for children, yet still disturbing for older readers. The chimney sweepers are little kids who are basically forced into child labor, to put their lives at risk to clean the chimneys. A young boy Tom cries when they shave his head, but the speaker insures him that this is a good thing as the black soot will not stain his hair. The poem tells of the young, dead children rising from their coffins, and leaving their bags behind. The poem goes on to read, “And the Angel told Tom if he’s be a good boy, he’d have God for his father and never want joy. And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark and got with our bags and our brushes to work. Tho’ the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm, so if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.” This shows a small glimmer of hope for these small children as they know that as long as they do their duty, they will be protected and safe, one day living with God. These children are often orphans, so they have never had a physical father or mother, which makes the hope of the future even stronger for these young chimney